Contour Portraits
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Unknown (Dutch), Woman with Wine Glass (after Ary de Vois) , circa 1700–1750, oil on panel, MacKenzie Art Gallery, University of Regina Collection, gift of Mr. Norman MacKenzie 1913-6.
About
This artwork is a portrait. A portrait is a picture of a person or people. This painting only includes the face and shoulders of the sitter, who is gazing at a glass goblet she is holding in her right hand
Not much is known about this specific artwork. It’s a copy or recreation of a painting by Ary de Vois. The original painting was made in the Dutch Golden Age in the 17th century. We know this recreation was painted later because of the use of the color pink. This color only started to be used in the 18th century.
Ary de Vois chose to paint a young woman holding a wine glass, staring off to look at some unknown subject. The original painting focuses on the emotion and feeling of the face, while this recreation focuses on the details, making the portrait into more of an object. This reflects the changes in Dutch society at the time this copy was made. In The Dutch Golden Age women could choose who they married, and their place of work. Once the Dutch were under English control in 1665, women lost some of their freedom. This caused the loss of emotion that was found in the original portrait.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
The artist of this recreation is unknown, but the original artist is Ary de Vois. He was born in the 1630s and died in the 1680s in Leiden, Netherlands.
Things to Think About
- What details are important in this painting?
- How do paintings change when they are copied or recreated?
- After trying the studio activity, what did you notice about this painting that you didn’t notice before?
STUDIO ACTIVITY
Make a contour line study of a portrait from The Multiple Lives of Paintings. A contour line is an outline that defines a form or shape.
Materials:
- Chalk Pencils, charcoal or conté
- Pencils and erasers
- Sharpeners
- Paper (cut in similar size as the portrait)
- Markers
- Printouts of paintings or images from the website
Instructions:
- Select a portrait from the exhibition webpage of The Multiple Lives of Paintings. Take some time to observe your selected portrait. Use your eyes to trace the contours (or outlines of) the artwork.
- Using pencil, try to draw the contours you saw in the portrait. While drawing, try to look at the painting most of the time. For example, try looking at the portrait 90% of the time and looking at your own paper 10% of the time.
- Try your hardest to make the entire drawing one continuous line. In other words, don’t lift your pencil off the paper.
- Draw slowly and enjoy the process! How does your contour line drawing reflect the story in the painting?
Adaptations:
You could use different writing tools such as markers if they are easier for you to hold.
If you are not able to see the painting, ask someone to describe the contours (outlines) in the portrait to you. Try your best to draw the outlines they are describing.